What is illegal under Vietnamese laws concerning porn, prostitution, sex, and the watching or distributing of ‘depraved content’? Note that prostitution is prohibited in Vietnam as a criminal activity under laws decree 178/2004. Despite the general understanding among most expats and visitors about the illegality of such activities, the reality shows a lack of understanding regarding the Vietnamese police’s ‘legal and practical interpretation’ of a foreign person booking a room with a Vietnamese citizen, as complaints on social networks about not being able to stay in the same room as a Vietnamese citizen are common.
Infringement of the law of the Ministry of Culture and Information, closely connected to the Ministry of Interior Police in most communist countries, can have serious consequences. Punishments range from negotiable withdrawal, fines, to long prison terms. Understanding two aspects of the informative content you hold or spread is key: the fundamentals, including the impact of depraved content and the boundaries of its viral perimeter, and the interpretation of the rules to keep it within boundaries.
According to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 3 of Decree 178/2004/ND-CP, “debauchery” is defined as the expression through actions, images, sounds, a vile, evil, and corrupt lifestyle of play and entertainment that is contrary to the nation’s fine customs and traditions.
Spreading depraved cultural products includes making, copying, transporting, circulating, buying, selling, and storing items like books, newspapers, paintings, photos, films, music, or other items with pornographic content that are unhealthy and contrary to lifestyle, morality, and good customs.
Depraved cultural products extend beyond porn, sex, and prostitution to include political content, fake news, libel, and defamation. Recent cases involving lawyer Mrs. Nguyen Phuong Hang jailed for 3 years for defamation and fake news, and top model Ngoc Trinh arrested for fake news and depraved content posting on social networks, highlight the serious consequences of spreading such content.
According to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 3 of Decree 178/2004/ND-CP, “debauchery” is defined as the expression through actions, images, sounds, a vile, evil, and corrupt lifestyle of play and entertainment that is contrary to the nation’s fine customs and traditions.
Spreading depraved cultural products includes making, copying, transporting, circulating, buying, selling, and storing items like books, newspapers, paintings, photos, films, music, or other items with pornographic content that are unhealthy and contrary to lifestyle, morality, and good customs.
Depraved cultural products extend beyond porn, sex, and prostitution to include political content, fake news, libel, and defamation. Recent cases involving lawyer Mrs. Nguyen Phuong Hang jailed for 3 years for defamation and fake news, and top model Ngoc Trinh arrested for fake news and depraved content posting on social networks, highlight the serious consequences of spreading such content.
How much is the fine for spreading depraved cultural products? In what cases will spreading depraved cultural products lead to imprisonment? What is the prison sentence?
The act of spreading depraved cultural products seriously affects public and social order, causes moral deviation in part of the population, and violates the fine customs and traditions of Vietnamese culture. This is strictly prohibited by law, leading to strict punishments for those who commit such acts.
According to the recent 2020 decree, those who commit offenses on social networks may be fined from 10 – 20 million VND for violations such as providing and sharing fake information, distortion, slander, or sharing information that promotes bad customs, superstitions, lewdness, and depravity inconsistent with the nation’s customs and traditions.
The fine for spreading depraved cultural products varies, with imprisonment ranging from 6 months to 15 years, depending on factors such as the amount of content, the number of people reached, and the use of the internet for diffusion. The severity of the penalty increases with the scale of the offense.
What are the real risks about sex, porn and subversive content in Vietnam?
The risks associated with sex, porn, and subversive content in Vietnam are significant, with potential legal consequences ranging from fines to imprisonment.
It is all about Interpretation, volume control, and the possible consequences to public unrest.
SENSITIVE TOPICS: Any topic can be interpreted as sensitive and subject to incentive bribe against making amends and withdrawal. Your relationship up above can tame the person and the amount of the ‘penalty’
VOLUME CONTROL: As you read the penalty is commensurate with the number of people reached therefore controlling the frequency and language (avoid Vietnamese)of diffusion of fake or questionable content limits the damage perimeter.
PUBLIC UNREST: As you noticed the highest penalty is when Social Media combined with Vietnamese language content, are used as the Pandora box is completely out of control by the Vietnamese authorities.
As you live in Asia, you must have had the experience of ‘big problems’ shrinking to ‘no big deal’ with an opportunistic ‘sorry and withdraw’ so nobody loses face and your life gets back to normal. Like in marriage interpretation and volume control is the key to happiness.
Vietnamese laws criminalize porn, prostitution, and depraved content, with penalties including fines and imprisonment. Risks associated with sex content are significant . . .
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